IELTS SPEAKING CUE CARD
[PART 2]
YOUR FIRST CELL
PHONE/MOBILE
PHONE
YOU OWNED
Describe a time when you had your first mobile phone
You should say:ย
- What it was like
- When you had it
- Who gave you the cellphone
And explain how you felt about itย
A N S W E R
Itโs still vivid in my mind the very first time I bought my own cellular phone. That was when I was a third-year college student. I decided to buy one since I was the only one in the class who didnโt have a mobile phone. It was completely complicated for my classmates and friends to communicate with me whenever we had some school projects to do that I was part of. ย
Well, it was never easy for me to buy one at once since I never relied on my parents financially. I worked part-time in a department store as an office clerk. My wage was just enough for my daily expenses and my tuition fee. It took me a couple of months to save just to buy my first-ever phone. As far as I can remember, the phone didnโt cost me much. It was a flip phoneย from LG and it was sleek with the colors red and white. That phone had straightforward functions such as calling and texting.
Also, its features included a radio, a calculator, and a Sudoku game. It was just a modest phone! ย To be honest, it was terribly awkward using it for the very first time since I got used to not having a phone. And what made it more embarrassing was when my classmates teased me the very first time they saw me having one. That was really uneasy.
Anyway, because of that phone, I learned the value of saving money and at the same time the importance of hard work. I realized that in order to achieve something that I wanted I needed to put effort into making it a reality. If it wasnโt for that phone, I wouldnโt be able to learn some valuable life lessons that are more than helpful in this adult life that Iโm now in.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Vivid [adj.] – clear At once [phrase] – immediately
Rely [verb] – depend
Flip-phone [noun] – a hinged phone; a clamshell phone
Sleek [adj.] – smooth; glossy
Straightforward [adj.] – direct; basic
Modest [adj.] – simple; ordinary
Awkward [adj.] – embarrassing
Tease [verb] – make fun
Uneasy [adj.] – uncomfortable ย
Transitional devices
Well, As far as I can remember, To be honest, Anyway
Note:ย These are very helpful to develop your story smoothly. You need any of these for you to be able to create a logical order story. Having these, help you place your ideas accordingly and in an organized way.
Grammar
If it wasnโt for that phone, I wouldnโt be able to โฆ – the use of second conditional tense (This is one of the advanced grammar rules, so using this kind of structure boosts your score in the criterion of IELTS) ย ย ย ย
PART 3
At what age do you think children are allowed to own a cellular phone? ย
In my opinion, I disagree with the idea that children are allowed to use or possess their own mobile phone, simply because this device is a distraction to their studies and their personal development. ย Nowadays, phones function as mini-computers in which different applications can be installed such as games or social media. These things are a culprit to childrenโs low grades since they can be addictive and make them abandon their studies, not to mention the behavioral problems that are caused by bullying or indecent posts on social media.
ย I believe we have to spare children from all of these negativities that this modern device has brought. It is easy to say that parental supervision can help but for sure parents can never monitor their children what they do on their mobile phones 24/7. So for me, a child should never own one.ย ย
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Distraction [noun] – interruption
Culprit [noun] – the main cause of the problem
Abandon [verb] – give up; leave; not pay attention
Indecent [adj.] – not appropriate
24/7 [adv.] – twenty four hours a day, seven days a week ย ย ย
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using cell phones? ย
There are countless benefits and challenges that mobile phone users can experience, however, let me point out the most common ones. ย First, mobile phones as a tool of communication bridge people from different places. In other words, people can keep in touch easily in real-time without any hassle. Also, since mobile phones these days are easily connected to the internet, people can be knowledgeable because they can get a myriad of useful information online at their fingertips. ย
On the other hand, the downsides include the high cost and people becoming less sociable. Excessive calls or usage of mobile data leads to an expensive charge that makes the users go broke. Besides, some people become anti-social as they only spend so much time in the virtual world with the use of their smartphones instead of going out and meeting actual people. ย These are the obvious benefits and problems that society is facing in terms of using mobile phones.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Countless [adj.] – too many to count
Point out [phrase] – to tell something to someone
Keep in touch [phrase] – to communicateย
In real-time [idiom] – the actual time
Myriad [adj.] – many in number; countless
At oneโs fingertips [phrase] – readily available
Note: The introduction uses synonyms of the words โadvantagesโ and โdisadvantagesโ instead of repeating them. Paraphrasing is important in IELTS as it shows to the examiner that you can say it in your own words. Also in the intro, the speaker acknowledges that there are many pros and cons but he only points out the obvious ones. ย ย
Why do you think there are some people who are addicted to using a cell phone? ย
Well based on my observation, people who are so absorbed in using mobile phones are those who are not busy with their lives. Those kinds of people have nothing else to do with their respective lives and the only way to make themselves entertain or distract themselves from boredom is to use that device. ย
In reality, people who are busy like those who are working or managing their own business care less about their phones, as they have other valuable things that need to be prioritized. For them spending hours and hours on their phones is wasting time.
So basically, the fact that some people have nothing else to do with their lives makes them get addicted to it. ย
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Being absorbed by something [expression] – to spend so much time
Distract [verb] – to interrupt; to avoid concentrating
Prioritize [verb] – to give importance
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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